Willingness to Serve

Many local organizations hope to diversify their boards and committees, but sometimes don't know where to find members from under-represented groups. If you would like to become involved, please enter your name in our Willingness to Serve database.

Local organizations refer to this list when seeking leaders. If your organization is not signed up, you can request access.
Do you know there is another place you can go to learn all of the other ways you can be active in the community?Volunteer Center.

Diversity Roundtable Timeline

The Diversity Roundtable started from a Vision 2020 idea proposed in 2000, which led to the first Diversity Summit in 2003 and the first roundtable meeting two months later in June 2003. Since then, there have been regular monthly meetings and four more Diversity Summits. Here's the timeline from 2000 to 2018. PDF document,

New Brochure

The 2014 Diversity Roundtable brochure is available as a PDF (opens in a new window or tab) to download, print, fold in thirds and distribute.

Community Diversity Climate Study

In 2009 Greater Lafayette Commerce and the Diversity Roundtable commissioned a survey to determine the climate for diversity in the community. The results are available in a PDF (opens in a new window or tab) that you can print or you can read it on line.

Mission: The Diversity Roundtable of Greater Lafayette works toward inclusion by encouraging access, equity and respect for all.

The Diversity Roundtable is committed to addressing multiple dimensions of human diversity, specifically those that are linked to conditions in our community that result from prejudice and discrimination.

The Diversity Roundtable provides leadership and promotes strategies to achieve a culture that values diversity as evidenced by attitudes, policies and practices within Lafayette, West Lafayette and Tippecanoe County, Indiana.

I pledge to be Open-. Open to new ideas; Open to the future; Open to talent in all its shapes, sizes, and colors; Open to people from around the world; Open to the contributions that businesses and nonprofits and the arts and wacky entrepreneurs make to our community; Open to the Future.

By signing this pledge, I commit to Open myself to learning about other cultures. I commit to speak up when others talk down about cultural or minority groups. I commit to giving a part of my time, energy, or treasure to burnishing Greater Lafayette's reputation as a place that's great for all people.

lf l serve in a leadership role, I recommit to our unwritten vows of cooperation and collaboration, knowing that Greater Lafayette's strength is working together, across the Wabash, shoulder to shoulder.

LAFAYETTE – The Lafayette Police Department, the YWCA Greater Lafayette and Renee Thomas, of the Purdue University Black Cultural Center have been selected winners of diversity awards from the Greater Lafayette Commerce's Diversity Roundtable, the committee announced.

The Lafayette Police Department will be given the 2017 Workforce Diversity Best Practices Award for its outstanding community outreach initiatives and recruiting efforts. The YWCA Greater Lafayette will receive the roundtable's 2017 DRT Diversity Leader Awards for nonprofits for its continued outstanding service in addressing diversity issues in the community. For the individual DRT Diversity Leader Award, Thomas, the longtime director of the Black Cultural Center, was recognized for her consistent dedication to the students at Purdue, bringing events of the BCC to Greater Lafayette and her community involvement at-large.

"The winners have all made a commitment to making Greater Lafayette a welcoming community for everyone," said Clyde Hughes, the DRT awards committee chair and outgoing co-facilitator. "Greater Lafayette is a better place in terms of diversity and inclusion because of their great work and dedication."

The awards will be presented at the Greater Lafayette Commerce's annual gala at Purdue University Ross-Ade Stadium on September 20.

Conversations

A Diversity Roundtable subcommittee asked police agencies in Lafayette, Purdue, West Lafayette and Tippecanoe County about their diveristy efforts, and here's what they found:What agency or individual offers diversity training to your officers?

LPD: The training officer at LAPD has a background in cultural anthropology and conducts diversity training for the department. In addition, James Foster, diversity consultant from the community, also did training in 2009.

PUPD: In the past, training has been provided by the Indiana Law Enforcement Association consultants, also a consultant from Dr. Taylor’s office (Division of Diversity and Inclusion at Purdue). Currently the department is using PoliceOne Academy (on line videos) for training re: diversity, using a train-the-trainer approach.

TCSD: Training has been conducted by local diversity consultants James Foster and Willie Cruz.

WLPD: Sana Booker, local diversity consultant, recently offered cultural communication training to officers. A training on student diversity will be offered by a consultant from the Office of International Students and Scholars later this year.

Join us for the 2015 Diversity Summit featuring keynote speaker Dr. Derald Wing Sue from Columbia University. Dr. Sue will be presenting on Microaggressions. The summit will be Thursday, April 23 starting at 11 a.m., at Ivy Tech Community College 3101 S. Creasy Lane, Lafayette, IN 47903-6299

The community-building arm of the Diversity Roundtable is holding its January call-out from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 27 at the downtown library branch.

The call-out is open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the circles, which aim to foster a better sense of community through respectful listening and sharing of diverse experiences.

A training session on Conversation Circle facilitation also will be offered Jan. 18. For more information on this session, email drtconversationcircles (at) gmail.com.

Congress Street United Methodist Church programs

Last fall, the church organized a communitywide discussion series based on the book, “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.”

It plans on having another discussion series on race at the end of February.

Organizers are considering books that explore the concept of ”white privilege.“

1 in 4 Campaign

Michael Oxenrider, director of education and marketing for Mental Health America of Tippecanoe, is recruiting community members for a photography project that shows 1 in 4 people is affected by mental illness.

About the Diversity Roundtable

Listening, Learning, and Acting. Open to AllMeetings are the first Thursday of each month, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., YWCA, 605 N. Sixth St., Lafayette (map). Everyone interested is welcome and encouraged to attend.

3 Human Relations Commissions

There are three human relations commissions in Tippecanoe County with three different jurisdictions. Where you file a complaint depends on where the problem occurs: West Lafayette, Lafayette, or Tippecanoe County.